While sexual violence in the DRC is not a new phenomenon - its roots can be found in the long entrenched treatment of women as inferiors - It reached an unparalleled level between 1996 and 1998, during the first and second wars of the DRC. The scale of sexual violence during these conflicts calls for multiple responses. However, no progress can be sustained if effective strategies for reparation and battling against impunity are not adopted. This paper asserts that the DRC government must send a very clear message that sexual violence will no longer be tolerated. The international community must also assume its responsibilities. Reparation for material, physical and moral damage is indispensable to the dignity of the victims and survivors. In a mainly rural country where women are one of the driving forces of the economy, in addition to ensuring the food security of the family and the country, the socioeconomic impact of violence against women is devastating.
